Aluminum roof scaffolding plank

ABSTRACT

A roof scaffolding system comprising an aluminum roof scaffolding plank constructed from high strength aluminum having a unique C-shaped design with molded features that imparts, stability and weight bearing strength to the plank when it is mounted on roof scaffolding brackets. The plank has ridges on its top surface to provide a non-slip surface and a plurality of holes along the sides at the top and the bottom to enable a lock pin to be inserted through them and through a roof bracket hole to secure the plank to the roof bracket. The use of the lock pin to secure the plank to the roof bracket in place of nails, allows for securing and releasing the plank from the roof bracket with one hand instead of requiring the use of two hands when nails are used to secure the scaffolding plank to the roof bracket.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally related to roof scaffolding structures. More particularly, the invention is related to a roof scaffolding plank structure constructed from aluminum.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Scaffoldings are critical and necessary structures in the construction, remodeling and repairing of buildings. They provide a safe and stable perch for workers as they navigate up and down the sides of buildings and on roof tops. A variety of materials are used in the construction of scaffolds. Regardless of the type of materials used in the construction of scaffolds, they have to be constructed to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.

Scaffoldings used on roofs are generally triangular shaped and fastened to the roof They comprise of roof brackets and boards measuring approximately, 2×8 inches. The brackets are nailed into the roof rafters and the boards are fit into the rafters and either nailed or screwed-in, to hold them in place on the rafters. The OSHA guidelines require that roof bracket scaffolds be constructed to fit the pitch of the roof and provide a level support for the platform. The brackets on the roof scaffolds are also required to be anchored in place by nails and if nails are not used, the brackets should be secured in place with first-grade manila rope of at least three-inch (1.9 cm) diameter, or equivalent.

Generally, the brackets and boards used in roof scaffolding should support the weight of the roofer and his roofing materials especially when working on roofs with steep pitches. The popular and most frequently used boards on roof scaffoldings are made of wood lumber measuring approximately, 2×6, 2×8 and 2×10 inches. There are several disadvantages to using wood lumber in roof scaffoldings. Wood can be very slippery when wet and also when covered in dust and debris. Wood also has a tendency to splinter and/or crack creating danger for the roofer of falling off the splintered board or getting the wood splinters under their skin. Wood boards also tend to be heavy and difficult to manipulate on a roof or from a ladder while trying to install the brackets with the boards attached to them on the roof

A superior alternative to the standard wood lumber board used in roof scaffoldings is, aluminum roof scaffolding planks, made of high strength aluminum that can hold the weight of the roofer and his roofing materials. The present invention is an aluminum roof scaffolding plank that can be used to replace the wood board planks used in standard roof scaffoldings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an improvement over the current roof scaffolding systems popularly used by roofing contractors. The invention replaces the standard wood scaffolding board with a high strength aluminum board on scaffolding systems and uses a unique fastening method which is an improvement over the current system of fastening scaffolding boards to brackets, using nails.

An object of the current invention is to replace wooden boards on roof scaffolding systems with a lighter weight material such as aluminum.

A further object of the invention is to use a unique fastening system for fastening the scaffolding board to a roof bracket.

In the exemplary embodiment of the current invention, the aluminum roof scaffolding plank of the invention has a unique C shaped design with molded features to impart superior strength to the plank. In this embodiment of the invention, the top functional surface of the plank has ridges to lend traction and prevent slipping from the plank when a roofer is standing or kneeling on the plank.

In yet another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the top functional surface of the aluminum plank has a rubberized coating applied to the surface to prevent slipping and skidding when the roofer is standing or kneeling on the plank surface.

In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the scaffolding system of the invention uses a unique fastening method to lock the aluminum roof scaffolding plank of the invention to the roofing brackets in place of nails commonly used to secure scaffolding boards to roofing brackets. In this embodiment of the invention, the nails are replaced by a lock pin to secure the aluminum roof scaffolding plank of the invention to the roofing bracket.

The foregoing summary of the embodiments of the present invention should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention. In this summary of the invention and in the specification in general the various references to the embodiments of the invention as, “the exemplary embodiment,” “yet another exemplary embodiment” and all such references to embodiments of the invention do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment (s). Rather, these references to the various embodiments in general mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with an embodiment is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments of the invention. The objects, embodiments, and features of the present invention as described in this summary of the invention will be further appreciated and will become obvious to one skilled in the art when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, detailed description of the invention, and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective partial view of the top of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank of the invention secured to a roof bracket.

FIG. 2 is a perspective partial view of the bottom of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a full length top view of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank of the present invention and a perspective view of the lock pin used to secure the plank to the roof bracket.

FIG. 4 is a perspective cross sectional view of one end of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective side view of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank of the invention mounted on a roof bracket attached to a roof.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank of the invention mounted on roof brackets on a roof top.

FIG. 7 is another top plan view of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank of the invention mounted on roof brackets on the roof of a house.

FIG. 8 is a view from the side of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank of the invention mounted on a roof top.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a roof scaffolding plank constructed of high strength aluminum having a non-slip surface and a unique C-shaped design with molded features that impart stability and weight bearing strength to the plank when it is mounted on roof scaffolding brackets. The aluminum roof scaffolding plank of the present invention is designed to replace the standard 2×6, 2×8 and 2×10 lumber used on typical roof brackets. The aluminum roof scaffolding plank of the present invention will easily fit on standard roofing brackets used routinely in steep slope roofing installations.

The invention also features the use of a standard lock pin of approximately 2¾ inches instead of nails to secure the plank to the roof brackets. The current methods employed to secure roof planks to roof brackets require the roofer to use two hands to fasten and unfasten a scaffold plank. The use of the lock pin as employed in the present invention will allow for one hand fastening and therefore, a rapid set up and dismantling of the roof scaffolding planks. The aluminum roof scaffolding plank of the invention will allow roofers to increase their job efficiency and safety when working on the roof plank scaffolding using the aluminum plank of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, more particularly to FIG. 1 a perspective partial view of the top of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank 10 of the present invention is shown mounted on a scaffolding roof bracket 30 by means of a lock pin 20. The plank 10 has a plurality of horizontal ridges 1 on its top surface to provide traction and prevent slipping when a roofer is standing or kneeling on the surface. In some embodiments, a non-slip rubberized coating may be applied to the plank surface to prevent a roofer from slipping and falling off the plank. The plank 10 also has a plurality of through holes 2 spread evenly along both edges of the plank 10 on the top surface of the plank 10 and another set of the same holes along the bottom C-shaped section depicted here as 3 a and 3 b to allow a lock pin 20 to pass through a hole 2 on the top side of plank 10 and into an identical sized hole on the C-shaped bottom end to secure the plank 10 to a standard typical roof bracket. The holes 2 will be approximately 3/16 of an inch to ½ inches in diameter. One or more of these holes 2 are used to insert the lock pin 20 to secure the plank 10 to the roof bracket 30. In this embodiment of the invention, the lock pin 20 passes through the holes 2 on the plank 10 and a corresponding hole or holes in the roof bracket 30 to secure the plank 10 in place on the roof bracket that is attached to the roof of a house or building. In this embodiment of the invention, the plank 10 with the unique C-shaped design 3 a and 3 b provides molded features to impart superior strength to the plank to hold the weight of a roofer and his roofing material without splintering or breaking as is common with timber wood planks.

In the exemplary embodiments of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank 10 of the invention, the plank 10 is constructed from an aluminum extrusion 6061 or equal strength and manufactured in three sizes with dimensions of, 1½ inches in height and widths of between 5½, 7½ and 9½ ^(inches) for use with a variety of standard roof brackets. The aluminum roof scaffolding plank 10 of the present invention will be roughly half the weight of a typical wood lumber plank and the strength of the plank 10 will be greater than wood lumber used in the same application. The lock pin 20 used to secure the plank 10 may be approximately 2½ inches. Typical roof brackets can be retrofitted to accommodate a through lock pin.

Referring now to FIG. 2 this figure shows a perspective view of the bottom of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank 10. This view shows more clearly the manner in which plank 10 is secured to the roof bracket 30 using the lock pin 20. This view also shows the through holes 2 spread evenly on the bottom edge comprising the C-shaped design 3 a. The lock pin 20 passes through the hole 2 on the top surface edge and the corresponding hole 2 in the C-shaped design end and then through the hole in the roof bracket 30 to securely lock the plank 10 to the roof bracket 30. The figure also shows the bottom side 1 a of the non-slip surface with the ridges 1 of the plank 10.

FIG. 3 shows a full length top view of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank 10 of the present invention and a perspective view of the lock pin 20 used to secure the plank to the roof bracket. The holes 2 are evenly spread on both the longitudinal edges of the plank 10 with the non-slip surface with the ridges 1 in the center. The C-shaped design 3 a and 3 b can also be seen at one end of the plank 10.

FIG. 4 is a perspective cross sectional view of one end of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank 10 of the invention. This view shows the ridges 1 on the surface of the plank 10 as they appear when viewed from one end. These ridges 1 provide a non-slip surface for the roofers to stand or kneel on when using the roof scaffolding.

FIG. 5 is a perspective side view of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank 10 of the invention mounted on a roof bracket 30 attached to a roof top 40 using the lock pin 20. The view also shows the ridges 1 forming the non-slip surface and the unique C-shaped design 3 a.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank 10 of the invention secured to roof brackets 30 attached to a roof top 40. The plank 10 is secured to the roof brackets 30 using the lock pins 20.

FIG. 7 is another top plan view of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank 10 of the invention mounted on roof brackets on the roof top 40 of a house.

FIG. 8 is a view from the side of the aluminum roof scaffolding plank 10 of the invention mounted on a roof top 40.

The foregoing description of the present invention through its figures and preferred embodiment should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention. It should be understood and obvious to one skilled in the art that alternatives, modifications, and variations of the embodiment of the present invention as described may be construed as being within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A roof scaffolding system comprising: a roof scaffolding plank structure constructed from aluminum; said roof scaffolding plank structure having a C-shaped design; said roof scaffolding plank structure having a plurality of ridges on a top surface; said roof scaffolding plank structure having a plurality of holes on a first side and a second side of said top surface with said plurality of ridges; and said roof scaffolding plank structure having a plurality of holes on a first side and a second side at a bottom of said roof scaffolding plank structure.
 2. The roof scaffolding plank structure as in claim 1 wherein said plurality of ridges on the top surface of the plank structure provide a non-slip surface.
 3. The roof scaffolding plank structure as in claim 1 wherein the top surface of the plank structure has a rubberized coating to provide a non-slip surface.
 4. The rood scaffolding plank structure as in claim 1 wherein the C-shaped design has molded features to provide superior strength to the plank structure.
 5. The roof scaffolding plank structure as in claim 1 wherein the roof scaffolding plank structure is secured to a standard roof bracket by means of a lock pin that is inserted through said plurality of holes in said plank structure and through a hole in the roof bracket that is attached to a roof structure.
 6. The roof scaffolding plank structure of claim 1 wherein the use of the lock pin to secure the plank structure to the roof bracket requires the use of only one hand for securing and removing the plank from the roof bracket as compared to the use of two hands for installing and removing a wood scaffold board plank from a roof bracket.
 7. The roof scaffolding plank of claim 1 wherein the plank is constructed from aluminum extrusion 6061 or aluminum of equal strength.
 8. The roof scaffolding plank of claim 1 wherein the plank is constructed in sizes to fit standard roofing brackets routinely used in steep slope roofing installations. 